Open Letter on the Open Letter on Iran

I’d like to ask the 44 Nobel laureates who added their names and endorsements to the Open Letter on Iranpublished in the New York Times on February 7, 2010 (and forthcoming in the International Herald Tribune on February 9), wherein they "urgently appeal" in the "name of conscience and honor" to the heads of state of the U.S., France, Russia, the U.K., and Germany to take "concrete measures…to protect [Iran’s] new nation of dissidents so that their sacrifice is not — and will not — be in vain," how long each of them has stood idly by and watched the scandals of supreme international criminality, the threats posed to the entire world not by alleged "nuclear ambitions" but by actual nuclear weapons, and shameless wars against the peoples of sovereign countries, as committed by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the organized states of the NATO-bloc, and by Israel for years on end?

I’d also like to ask these 44 Nobel laureates whether they oppose the immoral, inhuman, and illegal official policies of states as a matter of principle, or whether they oppose said policies with more forceful and unequivocal condemnation when the official policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, rather than the official policy of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Israel, France, Germany, and the other NATO-bloc states?

Shouldn’t the world know that these 44 Nobel laureates are on its side, rather than the side of their own sovereign powers?

Or do these 44 Nobel laureates care a hell of a lot more about proclaiming their full support and solidarity to the enemies of the official Iranian enemy of their own favorite sovereign powers — and next-to-zero about supporting the enemies of the same?

DEAR PRESIDENT OBAMA, PRESIDENT SARKOZY, PRESIDENT MEDVEDEV, PRIME MINISTER BROWN AND CHANCELLOR MERKEL,

HOW LONG CAN WE STAND IDLY BY AND WATCH THIS

SCANDAL IN IRAN UNFOLD?

We the undersigned urgently appeal to you and the other leaders of the world, to use your prestige and power to put an end to this outrage. The situation in Iran is not improving; in fact, it is worsening every day. The cruel and oppressive regime of “Supreme Leader” Ali Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad, whose irresponsible and senseless nuclear ambitions threaten the entire world, continues to wage a shameless war against its own people. Human rights violations have now attained new levels of horror. Thousands of the regime’s political adversaries are being arrested, imprisoned, tortured, raped, and killed, many by hanging. Seyed Ali Mousavi, nephew of the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, has been assassinated. Former Foreign Minister Ibrahim Yazdi is among the detained. Human rights activist Emad Baghi and so many other dissidents are behind bars. The Basij militia and police continue to fire indiscriminately on unarmed, peaceful demonstrators. According to the press, riot tanks have appeared in the capital.

And yet, overcoming fear and ignoring threats, tens of thousands of freedom-loving men and women, many of them young students, are marching in the streets shouting their faith in democracy and liberty. They must know that we are on their side.

IN THE NAME OF CONSCIENCE AND HONOR, WE APPEAL TO THE LEADERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO DO WHAT IS NEEDED TO HELP THESE COURAGEOUS FIGHTERS WHO RISK THEIR LIVES STANDING UP TO THEIR GOVERNMENT’S IMMORAL, INHUMAN AND ILLEGAL OFFICIAL POLICY.

More forceful and unequivocal condemnations of Tehran’s repulsive practices must be heard from Washington and Paris, Moscow, London and Berlin, the Security Council and important NGO’s. Harsher sanctions must be imposed. And yes, concrete measures must be taken to protect this new nation of dissidents, so that their sacrifice is not – and will not – be in vain.

All of us who care must offer our full support and solidarity to the brave people of Iran.